Williams steps up for Auburn

Posted: Sunday, November 11, 2001

ATHENS -- Moments after his 1-yard touchdown run put Auburn up 24-17 with 1:41 to play, Auburn freshman Carnell "Cadillac" Williams sat slumped behind the Tiger bench when teammate Ronnie Brown came over to give him some news.

Williams, who was making his first career start, couldn't believe his ears.

"Forty-one carries, a school record," said Williams, who used the new Auburn mark to rush for 167 yards and score two of the Tigers' three touchdowns on a pair of 1-yard plunges.

"That's when it hit me. I never carried the ball 41 times in high school, middle school or Pee Wee. And to think I did it against a team like Georgia. ... Man, that's hard to believe."

Williams' effort broke the old record of 38 carries set by Stacy Danley (172 yards) in 1988 and Bo Jackson against Ole Miss (240 yards) in 1985.

"Carnell was about what I thought. He's a great back," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "He's a warrior, a super, super back."

Williams hurt the Bulldogs with his pass-catching abilities as well.

With Auburn facing a second-and-11 at the Tiger 37, quarterback Daniel Cobb dumped the ball out to Williams on a screen pass. Sixty yards later, the 5-foot-11, 193-pounder was finally pushed out of bounds at the Georgia 3. Two plays later, Williams dove over the top for the go-ahead score before returning to the sideline where he watched his defensive teammates stave off a last-ditch effort by the Bulldogs before time ran out with Georgia on the Tiger 1-yard line.

"I was dead tired," Williams said. "But when Georgia started driving, I started trying to get myself prepared for overtime. I kept telling myself, 'Come on, come on, you've got to go back out there.' But when we made that stop, I was like, 'Thank you, God.' I was one tired cat."

It was easy to understand why.

Much of Williams' yardage came after the initial hit. It was not unusual to see the Attalla, Ala., native drag would-be tacklers an extra two or three yards before finally going down.

"That's what impressed me the most about Carnell," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "He kept driving and driving. He just wasn't going to be denied. He really saved our bacon tonight."

"Man, let me tell you, 'Lac' grew up in this game," Simmons said. "Forty-one carries for a guy his size ... what an effort. I can't say enough about how much this guy has matured. It's unbelievable what he did."

The rest of the SEC had better get used to seeing a lot more of Williams as well.

Williams earned Saturday's start after his 177-yard effort in a 42-17 loss at Arkansas two weeks ago, the most by a freshman in the SEC this year.

For the season, Williams now has carried the football 115 times for 575 yards and six touchdowns.

"I didn't play much the first two or three games, and I admit I was getting kind of down," Williams said. "But my mom and dad kept praying for me. I kept my head up and kept believing that my time would come. It's a long season. I just told myself when I got the opportunity to make sure I made the most of it."